A pole with a V-shaped end will be used to press a kinked Freon hose into its storage box just before Atlantis' payload bay doors are closed Sunday.
"They'll use this to help work the flex hose into the protective box," NASA spokesman Candrea Thomas said.
And Atlantis will launch Thursday at 2:45 p.m. EST, as scheduled.
The KSC employee designated to wield the pole has practiced the operation several times successfully in Huntington Beach, Calif., said Thomas.
The payload bay doors will close Sunday, a day ahead of schedule, to allow time to deal with any unexpected problems.
The Atlantis crew will arrive Monday at 10:30 a.m. and the countdown will begin at 5 p.m. Riding the 3,376th vehicle to rise from Cape Canaveral, the Atlantis' crew will deliver the European Columbus module to the International Space Station.
The hose will come out of the storage box when Atlantis opens its payload bay doors on orbit. The hose could kink again when the doors are closed just before re-entry. A backup cooling system exists.
NASA engineers are developing plans in case the hose ruptures during the mission. That part of the system could be isolated. However, the shuttle could be required to leave orbit at the first opportunity.
"That's something they would decide if and when that would happen," said Thomas.
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